Echinacea plant named ‘Heavenly Dream’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Echinacea  plant named ‘Heavenly Dream’ characterized by medium size inflorescences, broad, white ray florets that curl down slightly, broad, white ray florets that curl down slightly, yellow orange cones, a low spreading habit, a free flowering, very well-branched flower stalks, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Echinacea spp.

Variety designation: ‘Heavenly Dream’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea and given the cultivar name ‘Heavenly Dream’. Echinacea is in the family Asteraceae. This new cultivar originated as a fourth generation seedling from a planned breeding program using the unpatented parents Echinacea paradoxa and Echinacea purpurea ‘Ruby Giant’ for the initial cross. The exact parents of this selection are unnamed proprietary, unreleased plants.

Compared to Echinacea ‘Ruby Giant’, an unpatented plant and the original seed parent in the breeding line, the new variety has white rather than red purple flowers and a much smaller habit.

Compared to Echinacea paradoxa, an unpatented plant and the original pollen parent in the breeding line, the new variety is white rather than yellow and has ray florets slightly rather than strongly reflexed. The habit of the new cultivar is much smaller.

This new Echinacea cultivar is distinguished by:

-   -   1. medium size inflorescences,     -   2. broad, white ray florets that curl down slightly,     -   3. yellow orange cones,     -   4. a low spreading habit,     -   5. free flowering, very well-branched flower stalks,     -   6. and excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The photograph shows a view from above of Echinacea ‘Heavenly Dream’ showing the spread and flowers of a one year old plant in mid summer in the trial field in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Echinacea cultivar based on observations of one year old specimens growing in the ground in the field in full sun under typical outdoor conditions in Canby, Oreg. Canby is in Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year in the trial fields in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 4 to 9.         -   Size.—60 cm wide and 62 cm tall to top of flowers.         -   Form.—Spreading, upright, basal clump.         -   Vigor.—Excellent. -   Stem (flowering):     -   -   Type.—Ascending.         -   Size.—Branching to 53 cm tall to the base of a terminal             flower and 6 mm wide at base; each stem with 5 to 6             inflorescences from primary and secondary branching.         -   Internode length.—2.5 to 10 cm long.         -   Surface texture.—Strigose.         -   Color.—Yellow Green 146A at the base lightening to 145C on             the top with short sections of lines of 146A. -   Leaf (basal):     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Ovate to ovate lanceolate.         -   Arrangement.—Basal.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 17 cm long and 8 cm wide.         -   Margins.—Irregularly broadly serrate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate, continuing down petiole.         -   Surface texture.—Strigose on both sides.         -   Venation.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Topside, Green 137A; bottom side closest to Yellow             Green 147A with the vein Yellow Green 146C.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 5.5 cm long and 5 mm wide,             clasping, strigose, Yellow Green 146C. -   Leaf (stem):     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Arrangement.—Alternate.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 9 cm long and 3.5 cm wide.         -   Margins.—Broadly serrate.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Attenuate, continuing down petiole.         -   Surface texture.—Strigose on both sides.         -   Venation.—Pinnate, with three main veins from the base.         -   Color.—Topside, Green 147A; bottom side, Yellow Green 147B.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 3 cm long and 3 mm wide,             strigose, Yellow Green 147D, becoming shorter until no             petioles on uppermost leaves. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Composite on terminal stalked heads.         -   Number of flowering stems per plant in summer.—5 to 7.         -   Flowering stem.—Grows to 45 cm tall from the base of the             plant to the terminal flower and can grow to 15 cm long from             the top leaf to the base of a flower head; once to twice             branched; from 3 to 6 flowers per stem; diameter growing to             8 mm wide near the flower head; strigose, Yellow Green 146A             at the base lightening to 145C on the top with short             sections of lines of 146A.         -   Size.—Grows to 10.5 cm wide and 3 cm deep as disc enlarges.         -   Form.—Ray petals held curve downward slightly, mature disc             is conic.         -   Immature inflorescence.—4.5 cm wide and 2.5 cm deep, ray             florets held at a 130 degree angle and rolled up so only the             back color shows, Green Yellow 1C on both sides.         -   Ray florets.—Without pistil or stamen, about 22 in number,             overlapping, oblanceolate with the tip two to three toothed             (each obtuse), entire margins, base attenuate, grows to 4.5             cm long and 9 mm wide, glabrous on both sides; topside color             White 155B, bottom side White 155A with tints of Yellow             Green 145A; very mature ray florets have more Yellow Green             145A on the bottom side.         -   Disc.—Slightly convex becoming conic, becoming 29 mm long             and 40 mm wide with maturity, overall color Yellow Green             147A in background with showy bracts Yellow Orange 15B.         -   Disc florets.—About 400 in number, each 11 mm long and 1.5             mm wide, each with one persistent, very stiff bract (11 mm             long, Yellow Orange 15B on top ⅓, Yellow Green 146A in             middle and White 155A on bottom ⅓); corolla 5 mm long and             1.2 mm wide, 5 lobed, glabrous, Yellow Green 145B except at             each end where darker, Yellow Green 144B; pistil 11 mm long,             ovary 2 mm long, White 155A, style 7 mm long Yellow Green             145B, with an extruding, 2-branched stigma spreading 2 mm             wide, Yellow Green 145A; stamen 4 in number, 3 mm long,             anthers 3 mm long and Black 202A, filaments 1 mm long, White             155A, pollen Yellow Orange 14A.         -   Phyllaries.—In 4 leafy series, area 3 cm wide and 8 mm deep,             lobes lanceolate in shape, reflexed, grow to 10 mm long and             3 mm wide, Yellow Green 147B, margins strigose, tip acute.         -   Receptacle.—Grows to 8 mm wide and 17 mm deep, White 155A.         -   Bloom period.—July through October in Canby, Oreg.         -   Fragrance.—Lovely, floral.         -   Lastingness.—Each inflorescence lasts about two weeks in             Canby, Oreg. -   Seeds: Average number of 30 seeds/head, each 5 mm long and 2.5 mm     wide, oval, Brown 200C.     -   -   Fertility.—Good. -   Disease and pests: Echinacea are susceptible to leaf miners, powdery     mildew, bacterial spots, and gray mold. None of these have been     observed on plants grown under commercial conditions in Canby, Oreg.     No resistance is known. -   Comparisons to other White Echinacea: Compared to Echinacea     ‘Avalanche’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,597, Echinacea ‘Heavenly Dream’     is taller and wider. Compared to Echinacea ‘Purity’ (U.S. Plant Pat.     No. 19,441), the new variety has a broader habit and ray florets     that curve or droop down rather than being held horizontally. 

1. A new and distinct Echinacea plant as herein illustrated and described. 